$50,000 for construction waste project

A Charles Darwin University researcher in Alice Springs has won a substantial grant that will tackle the mounting challenge of construction industry waste in Australia and India.

Northern Institute Research Fellow Dr Deepika Mathur said the $50,000 grant from the Federal Government’s Australia-India Council (AIC) would support the project Construction Waste Reduction: Australia-India collaborative workshops.

“We will work with colleagues from the University of Melbourne to present workshops in New Delhi and Darwin next year that focus on an issue critical to both nations,” Dr Mathur said.

“The workshops will allow us to address crucial construction and demolition waste management issues, bring stakeholders together to learn from each other’s experiences.”

Dr Mathur said construction and demolition waste could constitute up to 40 per cent of waste, with landfills in India and Australia rapidly becoming exhausted.

“The key to conquering the ‘waste management mountain’ is to learn from each other’s experiences and through long-term knowledge and technology exchange partnerships between experts in Australia and India.”

Dr Mathur said she would draw from her work with Professor Rolf Gerritsen, Dr Bharandiharan Shanmugam and Mr Sami Azam on the Smart Cities and Suburbs Program to demonstrate the world class research experience and technical expertise that Australian based scholars could deliver in India.

CDU was one of nine recipients of the AIC 2018 grants program, which promotes projects that deepen Australia’s relationship with India through mutual understanding and collaboration.

The workshop in New Delhi has been scheduled for 9-11 January and the Darwin workshop for April next year.